VOLUNTEERS from Baltimore RNLI and the coast guard have been commended by a coroner for their efforts after an Italian student died in a cliff fall in Baltimore.

Coroner Frank O’Connell noted that diver John Kearney and others risked their lives to retrieve Lorenzo de Bonis’s body after he fell into the sea while rock climbing at Fox’s Cliff at Eastern Hole in Baltimore.

Mr O’Connell was told that an incoming storm the day after Mr de Bonis went missing, in September 2025, would have swept his body out to sea and it may never have been retrieved.

The deceased’s partner, Signe Martin, said they lived in Blackpool in Cork city and Lorenzo was undertaking a PHD at UCC. She said he was an experienced climber and had been to Baltimore many times.

‘It was normal for him to be out for hours and not hear from him. I did ring him at 7pm and then texted him but got no reply and saw that he was last online on WhatsApp at 12.39pm,’ she said.

‘I started to worry as I would have expected him to be on his phone. I contacted our friend Giorgio and we both travelled down to Baltimore to see if we could find him.’

She said his car was found at a layby near a field in Baltimore and she contacted the coast guard and emergency services.

The inquest heard that a rucksack belonging to Lorenzo was found which included his phone, full lunch, water bottle, harness and helmet but a harness and rope were missing.

‘He was an experienced climber and would triple check everything,’ she said.

Georgio Giunta said he was able to pinpoint to emergency services the exact spot where his friend would have been climbing as he had been there before with him.

A local landowner, Gerard O’Driscoll, said he met the deceased at 12.15pm by his car on a nearby layby and he recognised him from previous encounters.

‘He was packing stuff into his rucksack. We shook hands and we chatted and I told him to mind himself while rock climbing,’ said Mr O’Driscoll, who added that the car was still there at 7.30pm that evening.

The following day once the search resumed his body was recovered from the sea just below the cliffs at approximately 9am.

Volunteer diver and member of Baltimore RNLI John Kearney said he located the body face up with a harness and ropes attached in a gully where he was submerged in four to five metres of water.

‘It took me ten minutes to get him out and seek help from the rescue vessel. The crew threw me a rope and then towed me and I passed the casualty onto them,’ said Mr Kearney.

‘There was an impending storm due that day so we suggested to search early as the conditions would be too rough later in the day.’

Assistant state pathologist Dr Margot Bolster said there was extensive bruising to the back of the scalp and a skull fracture and Lorenzo died as a result of a traumatic head injury due to a fall from a height. She said there was no evidence of drowning.

The coroner recorded a verdict of accidental death and offered his condolences to Mr de Bonis’ family, his partner and friends.

In closing the inquest Mr Connell praised the work of rescue and emergency services.

‘The RNLI are involved in search and rescues in very difficult conditions. These people carry out fantastic work and it’s something people take for granted and I wanted to acknowledge their work.’